***
Scene: Starbucks.
Present: large numbers of teenagers doing what teenagers do these days – playing with mobile phones, flirting, flitting from table to table. Some are sat in the corner in pairs enjoying young love – one couple even enjoy a surreptitious snog. Others are firmly positioned in groups of boys and girls eyeing the opportunities across the aisle. Girls show off their latest shoes, bags and bangles. Boys chunter about football, cars and, of course, girls.
Nothing unusual about this of course. Perfectly normal teenage behaviour. But for one thing – these kids don’t fit our stereotype. They are Asian. But there’s not a single hat or beard on the boys, not one is in a shalwar kameez with short legs and none of the girls is even wearing a headscarf, let alone a hijab. These are ordinary kids with normal aspirations – good jobs, nice house, decent car, a happy relationship. They are not tomorrow’s terrorists. They are not the thin end of a militant islamist wedge. They are just Bradfordians.
…perhaps we can start treating them as such?
....
Showing posts with label Kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kids. Show all posts
Friday, 19 March 2010
Friday, 1 January 2010
Change, drunkeness and the threat of tutting
***
Since everyone’s* burbling about change in that usual frantic new year kind of way I thought I’d join in. Not in the personal development sort of change narrative – that always makes me reach for the axe – but looking at the things that need to change (other than West Ham’s league position) to make living in England slightly less annoying and irritating. Here’s a few (feel free to add your own!):
1. We need to give kids a little more space and a little more understanding. Let’s stop and remember what it was like to be a teenager – perhaps that will put an end to the description of mild annoyance as “anti-social behaviour”
2. The cartel that is the big PubCos needs sorting out – stopping them dictating drink suppliers and prices would be a good start. We should also take the alcohol license off supermarkets. And please god, we’ll stop this ridiculous blaming of licensed premises for the behaviour of a few drunks
3. A little less pious piffle from “faith communities” would be welcome – why on earth do we give them a privileged position in our society? If they want schools, TV programmes, newspapers and fancy buildings that’s fine. But not with my money, thanks
4. More trust – quite rightly I have never been asked for ID in a shop. In fact no-one should have to carry ID just to get served. That way we might get a little common sense from those serving. Shopkeepers you don’t have to serve anyone – why hide behind ID cards?
5. And a great deal more fun – more festival lights, bands playing in parks, farmers markets, street vendors, buskers, jugglers, open air theatre, pavement art and village galas. Put less into opera houses and fancy London theatres and more into accessible popular art that really makes places fun
6. Oh, and please, less tutting!
*by everyone I of course mean a couple of people on twitter
...
Since everyone’s* burbling about change in that usual frantic new year kind of way I thought I’d join in. Not in the personal development sort of change narrative – that always makes me reach for the axe – but looking at the things that need to change (other than West Ham’s league position) to make living in England slightly less annoying and irritating. Here’s a few (feel free to add your own!):
1. We need to give kids a little more space and a little more understanding. Let’s stop and remember what it was like to be a teenager – perhaps that will put an end to the description of mild annoyance as “anti-social behaviour”
2. The cartel that is the big PubCos needs sorting out – stopping them dictating drink suppliers and prices would be a good start. We should also take the alcohol license off supermarkets. And please god, we’ll stop this ridiculous blaming of licensed premises for the behaviour of a few drunks
3. A little less pious piffle from “faith communities” would be welcome – why on earth do we give them a privileged position in our society? If they want schools, TV programmes, newspapers and fancy buildings that’s fine. But not with my money, thanks
4. More trust – quite rightly I have never been asked for ID in a shop. In fact no-one should have to carry ID just to get served. That way we might get a little common sense from those serving. Shopkeepers you don’t have to serve anyone – why hide behind ID cards?
5. And a great deal more fun – more festival lights, bands playing in parks, farmers markets, street vendors, buskers, jugglers, open air theatre, pavement art and village galas. Put less into opera houses and fancy London theatres and more into accessible popular art that really makes places fun
6. Oh, and please, less tutting!
*by everyone I of course mean a couple of people on twitter
...
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